The Indiana Pacers have the aura of a group of future. Not many anticipated them to go this deep within the 2025 NBA Playoffs as a No. 4 seed within the Jap Convention, however they’re now simply a few victories away within the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder collection from bagging the franchise’s first-ever championship within the league.
The Thunder entered the 2025 NBA Finals because the favored group to win the title, however via three video games, it is Indiana, which is main the race to the highest, having gained two video games already. The Pacers shocked Oklahoma Metropolis in Recreation 1, with Tyrese Haliburton flattening a game-winning jumper to offer Indiana a 111-110 victory. The Thunder punched again in Recreation 2 with a masterful 123-107 win to degree the collection at 1-1 earlier than hitting the street for Recreation 3 and Recreation 4 in Indiana.
In Recreation 3, the Pacers banked on a giant fourth quarter to interrupt away from Oklahoma Metropolis. Indiana by no means held a lead larger than 9 factors within the contest, however absolutely did greater than sufficient to upset Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and firm. In truth, via three video games, the Pacers have by no means taken a lead by greater than 9 factors at any level, which earned Indiana a spot in NBA Finals lore, per Josh Dubow of the Related Press.
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By way of Dubow in a submit on X (previously Twitter): “Due to some nice analysis from @sportradar, the Pacers are the primary group to guide an NBA Finals after 3 video games regardless of not ever holding a double-digit lead because the 1978 Sonics. Bullets got here again to win that collection in 7 video games.”
Haliburton had one other large displaying for Indiana in Recreation 3, as the previous Iowa State Cyclones star guard churned out a near-triple-double manufacturing of twenty-two factors, 11 assists and 9 rebounds whereas making 9 of his 17 takes from the ground. Pascal Siakam, in the meantime, had 21 factors.
However to not be missed have been the performances by the pair of Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell off the bench. Mathurin received Indiana a significant spark by erupting for 27 factors off the bench whereas McConnell, one other former Arizona Wildcats star, injected extra power into Indiana by firing 10 factors, meting out 5 assists and recording 5 steals.